Mountainair Hotel

Mt. Hope, Fayette County
Date of Construction: 1910
Threat: Deterioration
 
2019 Update: The owners are looking to repair the roof and windows in the near future. There is a space for a beautician to have a shop, and the owners are looking for someone to utilize the space.

2017: ​The Mountainair Hotel is the largest contributing structure in the Mt. Hope Historic District. It is an anchor building in the historic district and is historically significant because of its connection to mining.  The New River Company constructed the building in the downtown commercial area of Mt. Hope following a fire that devastated the town in 1910.  The structure was first used to house office workers, but over time it was transformed into a “club house” for miners and then a hotel to host businessmen.  Over the last century, it was known by three different names: Hotel Mount Hope, the New River Hotel, and eventually the Mountainair Hotel.  In 1931, it was expanded to 50 hotel rooms and featured a banquet hall and coffee shop.  The hotel closed in 1965 after the coal industry in the area began to decline, and Mt. Hope lost over a fifth of its residents between 1950 and 1960.

In November 2015, Harvey and Joyce Cottle purchased the building and have undertaken some major interior rehabilitation efforts in order to make it usable by the community.  The Cottles have added electricity and water to the first floor, replaced a chimney, and installed bathrooms.  They have opened it to the public for art classes, karaoke night, a high school reunion, and much more.  There is also a coffee shop on the first floor of the building.

Over the years, however, a building of this size has proven difficult to maintain, and the Cottles have inherited compromised bricks and mortar.  The Cottles are currently seeking funding resources and assistance in rehabilitating the exterior of the structure.